The Next Generation of Apple iPods

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In one way or another, Apple has been dominating design and innovation in the PC realm for decades now. We grew up on their computers (they were where we first started gaming), and their modern products are responsible for fomenting the all-in-one, smartphone, and tablet revolutions—whether we like it or not. But few products remain as synonymous with the Apple of today as the iPod. The company’s premiere line of music players, available in styles and capacities to match every user and every budget, has redefined the way people think about music—on the go and everywhere else.

Last week, Apple launched the latest versions of its touch, nano, and shuffle iPods. They all boasted new features (and, in the case of the touch, a continuing close kinship with the iPhone) and the visual rethinks that typify almost all of Apple’s new releases. But are any of them worth your time and money? Tim Gideon, audio analyst at ExtremeTech’s sister site, PCMag.com, has been giving his eyes and ears a workout evaluating all three. Here’s his quick-hit views of the players themselves, along with some photos of them in action. Click through to PCMag to read his full reviews and see if any of these will really be music to your ears.

iPod touch (4th generation). Every year now, with the iPod touch, Apple seems to outdo itself and leave the competition scrambling—in fact, at this point, the touch doesn’t really have much legitimate competition. Apple’s fourth-generation model finally gets a camera for HD video recording, and still-photo capture. Plus a second, front-facing camera brings FaceTime video chat to the touch. On the new high-res Retina display, everything looks crisp and colorful, and the screen remains highly responsive to touch. FaceTime video chat, the addition of Game Center for social gaming, and the adoption of Ping for social networking only promise to make your iPod experience even more fun. Apple eliminated video playback from its sixth-generation iPod nano, making the touch the least-expensive video-playing iPod. Starting at $229 direct for the 8GB model, however, it’s not cheap, and that isn’t much storage for an HD video device. The $299 32GB player seems like the best deal, while the 64GB model offers twice the storage, but remains exorbitantly priced at $399. Despite the cost, the iPod touch remains, by far, the best portable media player you can buy. (Read the full review on PCMag.com.)

iPod nano (6th generation). The biggest shock of Apple’s releases this year is the new nano. The latest, shrunken touch-screen model marks a rare misstep from Apple. It works seamlessly with a graceful user interface, but it’s a flawed concept. Last year’s model came with a larger screen, a video camera, and video playback. Frankly, the only thing it lacked was a multitouch screen, but it was a great deal at $149 (for 8GB) and $179 (for 16GB). At identical prices and capacities, the new nano has a tiny multitouch screen with no video capture or playback. The least-expensive video-capable iPod is now the $229 8GB touch, so if you’re on a budget but want video in your iPod, you’re out of luck. Simply put, this nano should be the new iPod shuffle—and it should be priced like one. Read the full review on PCMag.com).

iPod shuffle (4th generation). There are more feature-driven budget players out there, but the iPod shuffle is the only one that works in Apple’s iTunes ecosystem. This fourth-generation one won’t elicit any “you’ve come a long way, baby” accolades, but adding a click wheel for navigation makes it far more user friendly. The shuffle has always been the least sexy player in the iPod line-upa budget, exercise-friendly choice for those of us who don’t mind playing our music at random. At $49 (direct), the light-on-features 2GB shuffle is not exactly a steal, but being the only iTunes-compatible player in the $50 price range adds value no other manufacturer can offer. Of course, that’s why SanDisk and Sony, to name a couple, offer players with higher capacities and better features including screens, in roughly the same price rangemore on them later. Apple’s VoiceOver makes the lack of a display easier to swallow, but the price is the shuffle’s best feature. Read the full review on PCMag.com).

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